Growth Spurt?

[jcbobo]

Last month we took our (then 8 mo old male) to vet to get his trifexis and he weighed 50 lbs. This month we took him and we were shocked to find out he's now 65 lbs. we feed him taste of the wild puppy food. I know the bag says 2 cups twice a day but he gulps down 2 cups and wants more. Some days he will eat 4 cups, some days he can eat 8 cups. He stops when he is full but I'm just curious if we should be cutting him off after 4 cups a day. We only give him 2 cups at a time (1 scoop). But thru out the day he will go to his bowl and paw at it is lick it and then stair at us as if we are support to take a hint....so we give him another scoop. I don't think he's fat, he is filling out but still has his little bird legs, . I'm just curious if this is a normal growth spurt, if any of y'all have had this around 8-10 months and if we should continue to feed him like we do until he is full.

 

[Gatorblu]

Growth spurts aren't uncommon at that age, but WOW! 15 lbs is a lot! Looking at the feeding guidelines from TOTW High Prairie a dog the same size and weight as your pup should be eating 3 3/4-4 2/3 cups a day. As long as your pup still looks lean, and the last rib showing at that age is pretty much the norm. I would go with the higher end and maybe even bump it up to 5 cups a day if he is still hungry. Just keep him lean and busy.

 

[Jan]

But thru out the day he will go to his bowl and paw at it is lick it and then stair at us as if we are support to take a hint....so we give him another scoop.

I would never do that. You are going to create a dog that constantly begs for food. If you are going to up the amount of food, do it at the next mealtime. Keep a close eye on his weight. Boxers are a lean dog. You should be able to see the last three of his ribs. If you can't, he is too fat.

You might want to pick up his bowl, so that he can't paw and lick at it and make you feel guilty.

Good luck!

Another thought, is to maybe feed him 3 times a day. So he doesn't get quite so hungry between meals.

 

[jcbobo]

Wow, I don't know if I can see any of his ribs :(
I guess we are fixing to cut back a little!!! Should we switch him to adult food now or wait until 1 yr old? Maybe not having as many calories that are in the puppy food would help???

Oh I feel bad. We created a little piglet boxer :(

 

[Gatorblu]

I would get him off the puppy food. 6 months is usually the cut off for that. Transition over slowly taking at least 7days but 10 would be better. You don't want to upset his tummy.

 

[Gatorblu]

Also since he has put on weight he may be getting ready to shoot up a bit. Mine would do what I call the inch worm effect. They would gain some weight and fatten up like a scrunched up inch worm, and then in a short period of time they would grow and become lean again like a stretched out inch worm.

 

[Jan]

I would definitely take him off the puppy food. When I got Markus, the breeder told me to feed only one large bag of puppy food then switch to adult food. My vet also said the same thing. Puppy food tends to make them grow too fast and it's much easier on the bone and joints if they don't do that. They will still reach they're genetically determined size.

 

[jcbobo]

Will do! My husband just opened up a bag of puppy food he bought last week so in a couple weeks we will start transitioning him to adult food. He does look like a husky little wiener dog right now. More long and wide than tall. (The people at the dog park call him "tank".) Hopefully he will proportion out soon. He also waddles when he walks. It's the same puppy waddle they have when they are just a few months old. I don't know if he is supposed to grow out of that or not, maybe when he is done growing all the way.